Does anyone have a good design for the main, its something I could be doing over the winter for BCC 126.The boat is almost completed hopefully before Xmas and I hope to commission towards the summer of 2010.See http://stewart-hull126bristolchannelcutter.blogspot.com/
On one of the Pardey videos, Larry discusses a mainsail canvas cover for Taleisin.
He went on to talk about hanging it upside down under the boom, to catch rain from the mainsail , while underway.
Douglas
Stewart,
I sewed up a mainsail cover for our BCC using the old one as a pattern. Having said that it probably wouldn’t be too hard to take a few measurements and make your own pattern assuming you have the sail on the boom or maybe just borrow one from another BCC for an hour and take measurements off of that one. I have a spinnaker pole attached along the forward edge of the mast and the turn snaps on the old one were located right between the pole and mast. On the new cover, I offset the turn snaps a couple of inches to the port side which made the whole thing a lot easier to use. The good news, it’s an easy project to sew together once you have the measurements.
Wayne
thanks guys, the problem is the boat is in Camden Maine and I am here in Newfoundland. So there is no access to measurements, which is my problem.
Stewart,
Another option to consider is making a stackpack style mainsail cover. This is what I opted to do rather than a normal over-the-top cover. We like that it is a lazy jack system with a big trough at the bottom that zips up on itself. It’s very quick and easy to put the main away, and because it is so easy, we find ourselves covering it pretty much whenever it is down, which will likely translate into a greater lifespan.
You can see my covers here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aaronnorlund/SailCovers?feat=directlink
Whichever route you go, I caution you to make all of your covers larger than you think you need. Stuffing a jib into a bag that is too small is physically tough and terrible for the sail. Mainsail covers are chronically made too small, especially toward the clew, so make sure there is enough space. Often people have covers made that fit their old, worn-out sails (which you don’t have, of course), but neglect to leave enough room for that extremely stiff new sail’s clew and reef clews to be furled. Some would argue it’s bad to have too-big of covers, but again, if it is a PITA to put the cover on because it’s too small, or for any other reason, it is less likely you’ll do so.
Also, if you’re planning on going into the tropics, I highly suggest you put an additional layer of something on the inside of your mainsail cover, at least on the top, sunbeat section. Sunbrella stops most, but not all, UV light, but enough gets through to affect sails. I used a PVC awning material on the inside top of the stackpack to not only kill UV degradation of the sail, but to make the zipper and tube-support area stronger.
Lastly, and I know you didn’t ask for any of this, I highly suggest you use some sort of Teflon thread. Recently, polyester thread has been the norm, but Teflon thread (such as Tenara and Profilen) have proven themselves to have a much longer life. The first thing to go on any cover is the thread, either via chafe or UV degradation. Teflon is fairly impervious to both, so using it can extend the life of your covers two fold, especially if you protect the fabric with a UV inhibiting coating every three or four months. My favorite of the Teflon threads is made by American & Efird and called Solarane.
http://www.amefird.com/solarane.htm
OK, hope this helps!
Aaron
Thanks guys, I see as usual the plot thickens. More to it than meets the eye.
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Hi,
I am planning to buy a Falmouth Cutter 22 1984, and gift it to my Husband at our 5th Anniversary. Is it good?
Also, please suggest me what care has to taken in case of covers, paint, rust etc. As I have a Wooden boat now.